Orthodontic Dictionary

Smile Studios Orthodontics offers exceptional orthodontic care to residents of Atlanta, Marietta and the neighboring areas of Georgia. We are proud to serve patients at our locations in Lovejoy, Fairburn and Powder Springs.

Orthodontic Dictionary in Atlanta & Marietta, GAThere are some terms that we may use during your appointment or in regards to your treatment that sound unfamiliar to you. Here, we have defined all of the relevant terms so that we can better communicate with you throughout your treatment. If you would like to learn about terms that specifically relate to your braces treatment, please refer to our page on the Parts of Braces.

  • Banding – Banding is the process during which we fit metal bands around the teeth. These essentially act as an anchor to your dental appliance, holding them in place. Bands are typically placed around the back teeth. 
  • Bonding – Bonding refers to the process during which we attach brackets to the teeth for braces. During the bonding process, we use an orthodontic cement to “bond” the bracket to the tooth, ensuring that it is securely connected.
  • Cephalometric X-Ray – We perform x-rays to view the position of the jaw and teeth. We typically perform multiple x-rays throughout treatment to monitor the position of the teeth and jaw and adjust treatment accordingly.
  • Consultation – The consultation is the first appointment that you have with Dr. Venn. During the consultation, Dr. Venn will listen to your treatment goals and assess your teeth in order to develop a personalized treatment plan. From here, we are able to move forward with treatment.
  • Debanding – Debanding occurs at the end of an orthodontic treatment, and involves removing the bands that were initially placed on the teeth.
  • Debonding – Just like debanding, debonding involves removing the bond material from the teeth to take off the attached brackets.
  • Impressions – Impressions are used to develop a model of your teeth. We take digital impressions with the iTero Scanner eliminating the need for messy impressions. 
  • Ligation – Ligation is the process of attaching an archwire to the teeth. This wire is fed through the brackets of your braces to adjust their tightness, and is responsible for the movement of the teeth. Ligation will be performed regularly at most appointments in order to keep the teeth shifting towards their correct position.
  • Panoramic X-Ray – The panoramic x-ray is also used to collect images of your teeth and jaw. This x-ray technique captures images on all sides of the head to give us a full view of your teeth.

If you have any questions regarding your orthodontic care, please contact us today. At Smile Studio Orthodontics, we offer a range of orthodontic services from our locations in Lovejoy, Powder Springs and Fairburn, GA. We serve the residents of Atlanta, Marietta and the surrounding areas of Georgia.